German-Helmets.
com - The Online Reference Guide to World War II German Helmets 1933-1945
Collecting Relic Helmets
Over the past several years
there has been a slow but in-
creasing interest in WWII
German “relic” helmets. The
term “relic” best characterizes
helmets which include those
found in abandoned bunkers,
excavated from old burial
grounds and battlefields, com-
bat damaged shells, and
rusted hulks no longer bearing
any paint or insignia. In most
A ground dug helmet from Germany shows a splinter fragment
concussion from an artillery round. (Private collection, Germany)
cases, these relic helmets are
actually in far worse condition
than a helmet in average
standing. Relic helmets are
rusty, damaged, and incom-
plete at their very best. Many
of these helmets bear no re-
semblance to their former
condition whatsoever! Never
German-Helmets.com - The Online Reference Guide to World War II German Helmets 1933-1945
the less, people still want to
collect them.
Perhaps their interest in
relic helmets has risen in part
to the lack of available (and
affordable) original and un-
touched helmets within the
collectors’ market. The num-
ber and quality of original
helmets that have avoided any
postwar tampering has been
shrinking for many years.
Interest in relic helmets might
also be an after effect of the
growing number of quality
“fakes” that continue to be
sold to unsuspecting buyers.
Rather than getting “stung”
for hundreds if not thousands
of dollars, many new collec-
tors prefer to have a helmet
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that they can have solid confi-
dence in. What better way to
have confidence in a helmet’s
authenticy than to have it
pulled directly from the
ground of a former battle site?
A Worthy Investment?
With such growing interest
in these helmets, many collec-
tors ask whether or not they
are worth the monetary in-
vestment. After all, no one is
simply giving these rusty hel-
mets away. Rusted and
ground dug shells of elite
units or military formations
such as the Waffen-SS often
bring high price tags. The
fact that the Euro is stronger
than the Dollar makes such
helmets even more expensive
since the majority come from
Europe and Russia. Ground
dug Luftwaffe paratrooper
helmet shells are often equally
as expensive if not more so.
It is not uncommon to see
relic paratrooper helmets sell
for $400 to $750 at auction or
simply from the gun show
table! Common relic shells
such as a rust pitted and dam-
aged M1942 helmet with less
than 5% decal and only 10%
remaining paint might sell for
$50 to $75. Those in slightly
better condition may sell for
$200 to $300. Are these hel-
mets worth it? Will they even
hold their value over time?
This is an excellent question
which often receives little or
no attention. Seller tactics
 German-Helmets.com - The Online Reference Guide to World War II German Helmets 1933-1945
usually do not disclose such
information and eager buy-
ers are generally happy to
spend their money without
asking questions of this
kind.
Without a doubt, it is very
clear that demand for Ger-
man WWII helmets is very
high. As one of the most
sought after WWII collecti-
bles, a German helmet in
any condition seems to be of
interest to collectors. At
present, there appears to be
no let down ahead. Helmet
prices (and values) continue
to stay their course and most
appear to be increasing well
beyond their initial purchase
price. Given that most col-
lectors prefer to invest their
money in helmets that are in
good condition, original,
and also complete, it would
seem that a rusted helmet
shell with holes and damage
would be worth less than a
helmet in good standing.
Such appears to be the case
with relic helmets.
While interest is growing
in these helmets, values
seem to be dictated mainly
on seller pricing. Sellers
who are personally involved
in acquiring relic helmets
from foreign battlefields
must recoup their expenses.
Many consider themselves a
sort of modern “treasure
hunter”. With shovel, map,
and former battle plan in
hand, they scour the farm
fields of countries such as
German-Helmets.com - The Online Reference Guide to World War II German Helmets 1933-1945
Poland, Latvia, and Russia for
“the find of the decade”
which may bring hundreds if
not thousands of dollars from
the right buyer. From a col-
lecting standpoint, it would
seem that a relic helmet that is
nothing more than a rusted
shell is going to continue to
be far less valuable than a
complete helmet in average
condition. At the present
time, it is unlikely an ad-
vanced collector will pay top
dollar for a rusted shell when
he might be able to acquire an
above average helmet for the
same or less price. After all, a
helmet that has been dug from
the ground and that is already
in the advanced stages of de-
composition is not going to
last as long as a helmet that is
in average shape and has
never been exposed to the
elements. Once advanced rust
sets in, there is literally no
method to halt the process
without damaging the shell
itself. Coating a helmet with
rust protective paint, clear
coat acrylic, or rust inhibitors
of any kind only negates the
value that the helmet holds in
its “original found state.”
From a metallurgical stand-
point, a rusted shell dug from
the earth is going to eventu-
ally crumble away far sooner
than a helmet that is not dam-
aged in this fashion.
Helmet Preservation
If relic helmets are likely to
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crumble into pieces over a
collector’s lifetime, what is
the best method to preserve
helmets of this kind? Is there
anyway of saving these hel-
mets so that they retain their
value and historical interest?
The answer is yes of course
and it all has to do with how
the helmet is stored. Helmets
that are rusted inside and out
and those that have been
ground dug are likely to be in
a very poor state of condition.
The most basic preserva-
tion technique is to ensure
that the helmet is clean of any
mud, soil, or other contami-
nants that have surrounded it
while in the ground. A simple
and delicate cleaning using
soap and warm water is likely
to do the job. Since water is
involved in this process, it is
always best to use a hand held
electric blow dryer to evapo-
rate excess moisture that will
remain in the deep pits of the
helmet. Remember, most rust
is formed as a result of expo-
sure to water and moisture.
Once clear of any dirt or sand,
it is best to seal the helmet in
a clear plastic bag. This will
prevent the shell from being
exposed to moisture in the air
that will most certainly con-
tinue to accelerate the decom-
position of the metal.
Seal the helmet in a plastic
bag? Many collectors balk at
the notion that their new
found collectable must now
live within their collection as
a semi-permanent sealed-in-
 German-Helmets.com - The Online Reference Guide to World War II German Helmets 1933-1945
Copyright 2003

plastic relic. If this concept

is objectionable to you, then
please read further. While
cleaning and sealing your
helmet in a plastic bag is the
best preventive measure you
can take, it is possible to
leave your helmet exposed
on a shelf if the environ-
mental conditions in your
home are in balance. Hel-
mets that are likely to be
exposed to moisture ridden
air, humid conditions, and
unstable temperatures are
going to continue to deterio-
rate rapidly. It is not un-
common to see a relic hel-
met have portions of its rim
break away or crumble just
a few months after being In 2001 this bullet shattered helmet was found along a foot path in
Oosterbeek, Holland. The helmet was in shallow undergrowth
cleaned and placed on a along the lines of the German assault which was leveraged against
shelf. This kind of deterio- British airborne forces during the battle for Arnhem in September of
ration will continue unless 1944. (Airborne Museum Hartenstein, Oosterbeek)
the helmet is stored in a sta-
ble environment. It is for
this very reason that many only method to ensure the reason being that in most
museums throughout the helmet’s continue existence cases their values have not
world prefer to place their would be to coat the entire reached levels where faking
most valuable articles in helmet with a rust inhibiting one is tempting to a fraud art-
sealed containers within paint or finish. While this ist.
temperature controlled envi- might be valid for some, the To the same effect, creating
ronments. The best advice fact remains this simply will an artificially rusted shell re-
one can take is to seal the negate or diminish any value quires an extensive amount of
article in a long term storage the helmet has. time. If time is of the essence,
container or place it in a then rust and corrosion can
temperature controlled envi- Sources of Relic Helmets only be formed through the
ronment of 70% (or less) use of acids and caustic
humidity and no more than If you are collector inter- chemicals. Most fraud artists
70 degrees Fahrenheit. ested in obtaining a relic hel- are not interested in such
Even so, this is really no met, where can you find one complex procedures unless
guarantee that decomposi- and will it be authentic or just the pay-off is high. At pre-
tion will cease. As stated another fake? The good news sent, it is not. Time, availabil-
earlier, once it has begun it is that most relic helmets are ity of helmets, and collector
can not be stopped. The in fact 100% original. The interest will impact this most.

German-Helmets.com - The Online Reference Guide to World War II German Helmets 1933-1945
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 German-Helmets.com - The Online Reference Guide to World War II German Helmets 1933-1945
Copyright 2003

Today collectors can find
relic helmets for direct pur-
chase at most large gun and
military shows. In addition,
most online military auc-
tions carry a few helmets of
this kind. Large Internet
auctions where buyer to
seller transactions are done
in a competitive environ-
ment often attract many relic
helmet sales. Potential buy-
ers need only search such
auction sites to find a relic
helmet. At any given time
there is at least five to 10
relic helmets for sale on
auction sites of this kind.
Many relic helmets go un-
sold for reasons stated ear-
lier.
countries. Before long, the
first “ground dug” helmets
began to appear from sources
in Poland, Czechoslovakia,
Russia, Latvia, and any num-
ber of Eastern European na-
tions that bore the brunt of
German military power be-
tween 1939 and 1945.
With access to an active
buyers market with money to
spend, relic hunters were soon
at their task of locating hel-
mets and related parts for di-
rect sale or export. Many of
these relic hunters were and
are themselves collectors and
people generally interested in
WWII history. After all, who
else would be willing to
trudge through the swamps of
northern Russia to seek hel-
mets lost in the mud and in
areas that haven’t seen any
human visitor since 1944!
Likewise, there are now
many US relic hunters that
travel these countries or
whom have established strong
contacts for the export of bat-
tlefield relics. Relic helmets
can come from old bunkers,
trench lines, fields, junk yards
and scrap heaps, forgotten
storage facilities, farms or
barn yard buildings, old
homes, and war graves. Lo-
cating such relics is not easy
and it requires an extensive
amount of time “in the field”.

Where do they all come

from?

If they are not being faked

why are there so many for
sale? The answer is quite
simple. Following the emer-
gence of a free market econ-
omy in Eastern Europe,
many enterprising relic
hunters determined that peo-
ple in the West were inter-
ested in articles of historic
value. Given the fact that
people living in established
countries with strong econo-
mies generally have more
disposable income for col-
lecting, it only took a short
Many German helmets were converted into utilitarian kitchen im-
time for these relic hunters
plementations after the war. This M1942 model helmet has been
to determine that there was factory reengineered into a household colander for washing vege-
an active buyers market in tables. (National Liberation Museum, Groesbeek)
the US and other Western

German-Helmets.com - The Online Reference Guide to World War II German Helmets 1933-1945
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 German-Helmets.com - The Online Reference Guide to World War II German Helmets 1933-1945
Does grave robbing
really happen?
The actual competition be-
tween relic hunters for such
artifacts is far more aggres-
sive than what most North
American collectors realize.
In fact, competition is so in-
tense and the desire for profit-
able sales so high it is not un-
common for some relic hunt-
ers to rob the graves of long
buried soldiers. While this is
not always the case, it has
been firmly established that
many battlefield relic hunters
are willing and quite able to
locate and excavate the graves
of fallen soldiers without any
risk of legal action or criminal
investigation. Such is the
case in some Eastern Euro-
pean countries, and in particu-
lar those in former Soviet Re-
publics. In these territories,
the war graves of fallen Ger-
man soldiers are not entirely
protected. While some clearly
are protected, there are many
war graves and cemeteries
that have been abandoned or
have had their markers re-
moved. In fact, it was general
government policy within the
former Soviet Union to de-
molish the grave markers of
fallen Germans following
(and during) WWII. In addi-
tion, such was the extent of
death on the battlefield that it
is estimated that more than
50% of all fallen soldiers
(including Russians) never
received a proper burial. If
German-Helmets.com - The Online Reference Guide to World War II German Helmets 1933-1945
they did, it was in a shallow
or remote grave in a field,
forest, or hill far away from
any town or city. Few dead
were fortunate to be buried in
an actual cemetery. Likewise,
very few fallen soldiers were
repatriated to their homeland
for burial. As a result, many
war graves can still be found
today in uninhabited areas of
Eastern Europe and Russia.
These areas are much sought
after by the few brazen relic
hunters who feel it necessary
to plunder the earth for relics
where the dead have fallen.
The plundering of German
war graves has been well
documented by the German
media and is a solidly estab-
lished fact. The treasure hunt-
ers seeking these relics are
commonly referred to as the
“black diggers”.
While this all provides in-
triguing questions as to the
source of most relic helmets,
collectors must ask them-
selves if they are comfortable
with obtaining a relic that has
potentially been unearthed
from a grave. This author has
handled and seen articles for
sale that have included the
skeletal foot and leg shank of
a German soldier with rotted
boot.; photographs of “black
diggers’ removing gold fill-
ings from the skulls of Ger-
man soldiers unearthed from
their graves; and skulls still
sitting inside their rusted hel-
met shells. In addition, it is
not uncommon to find relic
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Copyright 2003
helmets with the remains of
skin tissue and hair still stuck
to the rusted interior. As ob-
scene as this is, there are
many collectors who take an
active fascination with the
thought of owning something
dug from a grave. After all,
they often make the claim,
“Who can argue that the hel-
met is not authentic?” While
obviously true, we must all
draw the line somewhere.
At the present time, few
sellers of relic helmets are
likely to come clean with
where they have obtained all
of their artifacts. Clearly
speaking, not every person
selling a relic helmet or arti-
fact has found it in a grave.
There are relics that are found
simply sitting in shallow soil
or hiding beneath overgrown
foliage. But potential buyers
of these artifacts should be
armed with the factual infor-
mation presented here. Ask-
ing questions of the seller be-
forehand is required before
buying any relic helmet unless
one feels it unimportant that
they are directly contributing
to the continued robbing of
war graves for the sole sake of
someone’s profit.
In the United States and
almost all Western European
nations, the deliberate robbing
of war graves is a criminal
offense punishable by fine
and imprisonment. Individu-
als who seek relics from un-
protected graves, such as
those associated with U-Boat
 German-Helmets.com - The Online Reference Guide to World War II German Helmets 1933-1945
Copyright 2003

men lost off the Eastern

Coast of the United
States, are in jeopardy
of $10,000 fines, a fel-
ony offense, and years
of imprisonment. This is
not the case in all parts
of the world. Despite
the active robbing of
graves for WWII battle-
field relics, it is surpris-
ing that most buyers are
completely embarrassed
by the thought of asking
the seller a few ques-
tions at the time of pur-
chase. In fact, most
buyers just prefer to buy German helmet shells dug from battlefields in Russia. Many of the shells
the artifact they desire retain their original wartime paint finishes as well as combat damage.
under the guise of a
“don’t ask—don’t tell”
policy. For this reason,
all collectors of relic
helmets are encouraged
to ask the right ques-
tions prior to purchasing
any ground dug or bat-
tlefield found helmet. If
the seller becomes skit-
tish or seems to dodge
the question, be aware
of the fact you may be
dealing with someone
who is willing to rob the
dead for profit.
The photographs at
right show a number of
items dug in the soil of
Russia. Many of the
artifacts came from bun-
kers and trench lines, yet at
the same time some of the other in a hasty fashion. of the relic items purchased
items shown came from mass The old adage that pro- today. GH
graves where the soldiers claims “Let the buyer be-
were buried one on top of the ware!” remains true for many

German-Helmets.com - The Online Reference Guide to World War II German Helmets 1933-1945
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